Stone Cradle'Elijah Smith was born in the graveyard of the church at Werrington, a village in the Soke of Peterborough. I can tell you this for certain, as I am his mother and so was there at the time.' Clementina is barely sixteen when she falls pregnant. Other girls had been put out on the highroad for less, but Clementina's Dei and Dadus stand by her. But the Travellers are treated with suspicion wherever they go, and soon the family are rounded up by the 'gavvers', accused of poisioning local livestock. As the Romany people struggle to survive the changes of the twentieth century, Louise Doughty charts one family's path through persecution and tragedy, asking, can the Romany spirit survive in a century that no longer has space for them? |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Adolphus Lee asked babby baby Bartholomew bender tent Billy Burnt Fen camp carpet-bag child Childer Clementina cold course Dadus Daniel dark daugh door East Cambridge Eastfield Elijah's mother eyes face farm farmer's daughter father feel fella felt Fenella Fens front gave girl glanced gone gorjer hair hand happened head Horace horse inside kitchen knew lane Lemmy lifted Lijah Long Stanton looked LOUISE DOUGHTY loved married Mehitable morning move never nice night nodded once Paradise Street Peterborough piglet pulled realised Redeemus Grey Romany Rose round Scarlet side sleep smile Smith sort stared step stood stopped Stourbridge talk tell thing Thomas Freeman thought told took turned vardo vicar village voice wagon waiting walked watched week Werrington whole woman wonder young